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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29953674">Maiden of the Mist</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/M_malf0y/pseuds/M_malf0y'>M_malf0y</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Chronicles of Narnia (Movies), Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Book/Movie: Prince Caspian, Book/Movie: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Canon-Typical Violence, Caspian is hot, Character Death, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, F/M, Major Character Injury, Major Character Undeath, Major Character(s), Major Original Character(s), Narnia, Not Canon Compliant, Original Character(s), Post-Prince Caspian, Slow Burn, ben barnes - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 01:07:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,634</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29953674</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/M_malf0y/pseuds/M_malf0y</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“How does one not enjoy sailing?” Caspian laughed with a grand smile. “The waves cascading across the landscape, beautiful and blue for as far as the eye can see. The way they rock you to sleep, the scents of the ocean calming your mind.”</p><p>“It’s the rocking that unsettles me, actually,” Madelynn chuckled. “I never seemed to gain my sea legs.”</p><p>“Well, hopefully on this journey you will,”</p><p> </p><p>In which Madelynn Scrubb finds herself sailing on the Dawn Treader, pulled from her world through an oil painting.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Caspian (Narnia)/Original Female Character(s), King Caspian/Original Female Character, Prince Caspian/Original Female Character</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Each character has been aged up 3 years from their book counterparts:<br/>Caspian- 19<br/>Edmund-15<br/>Lucy/Eustace-13</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Between Eustace's insufferable ranting, and Edmund's empty threats, Madelynn Scrubb felt a part of her vacant. While it wasn't every so often she got to see her cousin, to say that their sudden appearance made life in the Scrubb household shift tracks would be an understatement. Her younger brother, Eustace, took every opportunity to make Lucy and Edmund miserable, the latter more so. He got them into trouble, scolded them- even being the youngest of the group, and mocking them for the fantasy worlds Lucy sketched absentmindedly on napkins.</p><p>"It's been a year, Lucy," Edmund would say softly, thinking nobody would hear. "We'll see them again soon."</p><p>"I know, but so much time passed last time!" The girl would sigh. "I can't bear to lose another group of friends to time." They thought their conversations were hushed enough not to attract the attention of the Scrubbs, but while she was mending clothes, or cooking meals, Madelynn heard. The girl of 18 enjoyed the stories her younger cousin would tell her, explaining small sketches as if they were memories.</p><p>"You should write all of these into novels," the older girl said once with a small laugh. "Since when did you become such a good writer?" She could see Lucy hesitate before replying.</p><p>"Narnia is just such a beautiful place. It's a part of me." The answer gave Madelynn a lot to think about while going about her chores. Each time she asked, Lucy replied with the same sort of answer. Narnia was a part of her, and she didn't seem ready to consider letting it go.</p><p>On this particular day, Madelynn found herself alone in the room she had been sharing with Lucy while her youngest cousin stayed where she had most days, in the boy's room with her elder brother. They say that strict parents create sneaky children, and Madelynn was no exception. While her parents, especially her father, wanted her to be a proper lady, Madelynn dreamed larger than that. She longed for adventure outside of the constants of war that ate at most people's spirits. She wanted to feel the wind blowing through her curls and to stare out at the endless blue horizon without worrying about fetching someone a beer. She found herself saving up money to sneak out to town, buying up all the things she was forbidden, like nice corsets or elegant heels.</p><p>So, as Madelynn sat in her room lacing up the corset she was most fond of -a black one that only covered her torso, ending with a small point under her bust, the usual squabble between Edmund and Eustace began to break out once more. But, something felt different this time. Today, she felt a pull to go into the boy's room and see what was going on. The argument seemed to be getting louder and louder, as Edmund's threats began to sound less empty than usual. So, Madelynn threw a loose shirt over her corset and swiftly made her way into the room. Upon opening the door, the arguments seemed to come to a halt.</p><p>"What happened?" She asked the younger children, patting down her shirt. She noticed Lucy walking up closer and closer to a painting of the sea on the wall, running her finger along the canvas.</p><p>"It's just a painting!" Eustace exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.</p><p>"Nobody enjoys hearing your big mouth, Eustace!" Edmund snapped back.</p><p>"Both of you hush," Madelynn said with a pointed glare, moving over to Lucy and placing a hand on the small of her back. "What seems to be the matter with the painting, Lu?"</p><p>"Doesn't it appear to be alive," she said, looking up at her elder cousin with wide eyes. Upon closer inspection, Madelynn did notice that the oil painted waves looked much more lively than any other ocean portrait she had ever seen.</p><p>"Is that ship getting closer?" She said in shock.</p><p>"Oh, not you too!" Eustace yelled. "You all belong in a madhouse! I'm leaving!" Yet, as the boy reached for the door, it would not budge. "You locked me in here!" he yelped at his sister.</p><p>"I did no such thing. Let me see." Same as her brother, Madelynn could not open the door.</p><p>"Edmund! Edmund look!" Exclaimed Lucy, drawing her brother's attention to the portrait. Small droplets of sea water began to leak from the corners and onto the floor.</p><p>"Oh my," Madelynn said in shock, staring at how Lucy and Edmund shared a knowing look in their eyes. "What's happening?" The water flow grew heavier as seconds passed, and Eustace began to pull at the door frantically.</p><p>"MOTHER!!" he shouted. "FATHER! LET US OUT!"</p><p>"Hush, Eustace!" Their cousins snapped. Eustace grabbed the leaking portrait off of the wall, holding it in front of his face to examine. Only after a few seconds was he nearly drowned by a massive flow of sea water, smacking his face and filling the room with rising tides. That was when Madelynn really began to panic.</p><p>"WHAT IS GOING ON?" she shouted, trying to keep herself above the surface as the room filled to the brim with ocean. But, the next time she came up for breath, she was surrounded by nothing by blue seas and a quickly nearing ship. Looking around, she couldn't see her family. "EUSTACE?" she called, but no answer. "LUCY? EDMUND?" Nothing.</p><p>The large wooden ship got closer still, and Madelynn tread the water to keep herself afloat as it passed. Hopefully the crew would notice the girl in the ocean. Turning her back away from the vessel, Madelynn kept scanning for her younger brother and cousin, only to be met with nothing but the vast, endless blue waters. Then, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her torso.</p><p>"What-" she started, getting cut off by a sharp wave washing over her face, causing her to let out a sputtering cough. Water filled her lungs, salty and drying.</p><p>"Let's get you onto the boat," the male voice said reassuringly, wrapping her body into his as both of them kicked to a small ledge. Sitting her down onto it, then standing himself, the man in the white shirt signaled the crew to pull the pair up into the vessel. There, on the ship, sat a beaming Lucy, Edmund, and less excited Eustace. Madelynn was still coughing up water, tears in her eyes from the pain in her chest, so she was whisked aside to be tended to in a small chamber with a towel thrown around her shoulders, watching the mystery man throw an arm around Lucy and walk away.</p><p>"How in the world did you end up here?"</p><p>After her coughing had died down, and a bit of fresh water washed through her system, Madelynn walked out to the main deck once more. She recalled hearing Eustace scream, but that was nothing out of the ordinary. <em>What type of dream is this?</em> She asked herself. <em>It feels quite real.</em></p><p>"Men! Behold our castaways!" She heard the mystery man shout to the crew. "Edmund the just, and Lucy the valiant. High King and Queen of Narnia!" <em>Narnia.</em> That was the place Lucy sketched and told stories of. She remembered the mention of royalty in the very detailed stories. Maybe she adapted it into her own dreams. As she walked out of the doorway, all of the crew had kneeled down around her cousin. <em>Peculiar.</em> Madelynn felt awkward standing in the open archway, so she slipped into the shadows.</p><p>Lucy, ever observant, noticed her elder cousin's obvious uncomfortable nature on the ship, running over past the crew to make sure she was okay.</p><p>"Are you alright! You were pulled away right after you hit the deck!"</p><p>"I'm quite alright, High Queen Lucy."</p><p>"I'm so glad you're here with us!"</p><p>"And where exactly <em>are</em> we?"</p><p>"We, Mads, are in Narnia."</p><p>~*~</p><p>After wrapping a towel around her shoulders once more, Madelynn allowed herself to sit down in a small corner of the Dawn Treader on a pile of crates and collect her thoughts. She had just been transported to a magical land, outside of her own wild imagination, only to find out that her cousins were kings and queens. Narnia had been real all along.</p><p>"I don't believe we were properly introduced," someone said from beside her, his voice familiar. The brunette girl turned her head to the side to see the face of the man who grabbed her from the water, smiling down at her, his figure comfortably leaning on the mast. Looking no more than a year older than herself, he had long, brown hair, and neat facial hair trimmed close to his skin. It suited him well.</p><p>The mystery man had already changed out of his wet garments, now dawning a maroon colored coat with swirls of golden embroidery, over a shirt of the same color, and a more brown toned pair of trousers. His hair was no longer wet, and was now tied back with a small elastic.</p><p>"No, I suppose we haven't," Madelynn chuckled, readying herself to shake off her towel and stand, before the man held out a hand signaling her to stay seated before lowering himself to sit on the piled bags next to her. Both turning to face each other, the man extended his hand to shake.</p><p>"King Caspian," he said simply with a warm smile. Madelynn's eyes widened as she took his hand.</p><p>"Madelynn Scrubb," she replied with a surprised chuckle. "Edmund and Lucy's cousin, Your Majesty." She dipped her head in a small bow.</p><p>"No need for formalities," Caspian reassured her gently, an almost boyish smile creeping onto his lips. "I've never been one for those titles."</p><p>"Alright then." A mischievous glimmer flickered in her eyes.</p><p>"So, the boy is your brother?" Caspian questioned with a hint of pity, pointing to a complaining Eustace, who was once again conscious after fainting.</p><p>"How could you have ever guessed that?" she said with faux surprise and a laugh.</p><p>"Quite the handful, he is."</p><p>"You get used to it. Care to elaborate a bit on what exactly is going on?"</p><p>"I'm not sure how you got there, but our crew found you and your family floating in the sea. Now, you're here, on my ship."</p><p>"How informative," she muttered with a snort.</p><p>"Ladylike," Caspian commented with a chuckle.<br/>
"I try." With a gust of wind, Madelynn pulled the soaked towel closer around her figure to keep the harsh air from her wet skin.</p><p>"Oh, I almost forgot!" Caspian said hurriedly, almost as if snapping out of a trance. "We don't have any women on board to borrow clothing from, so if all is well with you, I have a spare shirt and trousers of my own to offer. If not then we can make other arrangements-" The King pulled the articles of clothing from the small bag he carried with him, extending them out to the girl, blabbering quickly before she cut him off.</p><p>"That's perfectly fine," she said with another chuckle.</p><p>"You can get changed in my chambers, being as that is where you and Lucy shall be staying."</p><p>Madelynn accepted the dry clothes and went to stand up, a slightly questioning look on her face. Caspian noticed right away. "But where shall you sleep?"</p><p>"Among the crew. There is no trouble for me with that."</p><p>"Thank you for the clothes, and thank you for not letting me drown, <em>your majesty</em>," Madelynn said, walking off to the king's chambers with a knowing smile on her face.</p><p>Caspian leaned back against the wall of the ship, taking in a deep inhale of the ocean air. He couldn't remember if he told her not to use <em>king-like</em> terms around him. Most of the conversation was really a blur, but he remembered the deeper, elegant timbre of her voice, and the way her damp curls fell over her shoulders like the swirls on a painting.</p><p>He was already feeling at home on the ship, but now he has the added company of Lucy and Edmund. He knew that Susan and Peter would not be returning, no matter how he had hoped they would. It had been three years since he'd seen them, and dreams of Susan stopped after about one. Aslan was right when he said that she had no more to learn from Narnia. That included him. She was never his to have.</p><p>The sea made him feel calm. It helped him forget the bloodshed and battles he fought three years ago, at just 16, ending with him taking up the crown of Narnia. He couldn't help but ponder why the cousins of Lucy and Edmund were also brought to Narnia as well. Never before had the kings and queens of old brought guests along, but Aslan does everything for a reason. They must have a purpose here.</p><p>All he knew of Eustace was that he was loud, opinionated, and irritating. Yet, his elder sister seemed quite the opposite. Loud, perhaps the same, but she doesn't use volume to pester the others. Madelynn seemed just as agitated with her brother as Caspian was, so he knew he wasn't alone. She looked not much than a year younger than he was, with strong ringlet curls, although they were matted by the ocean water. Her eyes were nearly the same shade as the ocean, a beautiful crystal blue and green that glistened behind her eyelashes like the calm shores. Freckles scattered themselves across her features, up the bridge of her nose, above her cupid's bow, and up her cheeks. He liked how the apples of her cheeks were prominent whenever she smiled.</p><p>"Hello, Caspian!" Lucy exclaimed, shaking him out of his own thoughts. "You met my cousin?"</p><p>"Which one?" he questioned with a chuckle.</p><p>"It's hard <em>not</em> to know Eustace is here," said Edmund with a sour look as he walked up behind his sister, "so I'd assume she meant his sister."</p><p>"Madelynn was her name, right?" The King asked. He still couldn't remember what they spoke about in full. But not remembering her name? That would be even more embarrassing.</p><p>"Yes! Isn't she wonderful!"</p><p>"Calm down, Lu," Said Edmund.</p><p>"I have a right to be excited that another girl is here, Edmund."</p><p>"Yes, Lucy. Your cousin is wonderful," Caspian smiled, giving Lucy a pat on the shoulder.</p><p>"Scare her off already?"</p><p>"Ed!"</p><p>"She just went to change into dry clothes. She looked terribly cold."</p><p>"Maybe because she was sopping wet and it's windy?"</p><p>"ED!" Lucy slapped her brother upside the head as Caspian barked in laughter.</p><p>"He does have a fair point. So I can relay the information, how did you all end up here?"</p><p>"<em>Relay the information?</em>" Edmund repeated.</p><p>"Madelynn asked me some questions."</p><p>"So why wouldn't you just ask us to explain more to her?"</p><p>"Well, she seems to have chosen me to ask, hasn't she?"</p><p>"Or you just want an excuse to talk to her," Lucy chimed in. It wasn't entirely false.</p><p>"Talk to who?" The three of them turned their heads to face the new voice.</p><p>"Speak of the devil and she shall arrive," muttered Edmund.</p><p>"I've been compared to him time and time again, my dear Edmund. Positively unoriginal."</p><p>Edmund simply scowled. She was always quicker with retorts than he was.</p><p>"Caspian wanted to talk to me? I'm flattered, truly," Madelynn mused, a joking smile across her features as she looked up at the king. The girl now dawned Caspian's clothes, a loose creme shirt and maroon colored trousers. The fabric sloughed over her shoulders, exposing much more of her collar bone than usually acceptable. The shirt had a small v at the neckline that she laced up, and the corset she had tucked under her shirt now pinned the bottom half of the Caspian's to her torso.</p><p>"Is that one of the ones you got in town?" Asked Lucy, her eyes drawn to the black leather material.</p><p>"Yep! I feel like one of those pirates in a fairy tale," she laughed. "Adventure awaits, and I must look the part."</p><p>"You were wearing it under your blouse again, weren't you?" Edmund chimed in.</p><p>"Quite observant, aren't we."</p><p>"You paid me three pounds not to tell your mum."</p><p>"It's nice to know you keep your word, then."</p><p>Caspian cleared his throat a bit, speaking for the first time since she walked out. "Everything is fitting okay?" His voice came out weaker than he had hoped it would, and Lucy noticed.</p><p>"Fits perfectly, <em>your majesty.</em>"</p><p>"There's no-"</p><p>"-No need for formal titles, I know. But you get all flustered whenever I use them. It's quite amusing." Caspian straightened his posture, fighting the small flush that was threatening to creep up onto his face. <em>So he did tell her.</em></p><p>"So-erm- how long has it been for you all?" he questioned Lucy and Edmund, keeping his eyes away from Madelynn's new attire.</p><p>"Just one year, same as last time," Edmund answered.</p><p>"It's been only three here. Better than another 1300, I suppose," The King joked. "Speaking of that, I have something for you." The trio began to walk towards Caspian's chambers, leaving Madelynn awkwardly standing on the deck, before Lucy grasped her arm and pulled her along.</p><p>"Slow down, Lu!" she gasped as her younger cousin sprinted to catch up with the two boys. "You'll rip my arm off!"</p><p>The room Caspian led them too was simply elegant, with golden decor and wooden walls. Madelynn, for once, was at a loss for words.</p><p>"Aslan," Lucy said softly, her hand running over a golden lion on the wall.</p><p>"That's the lion you spoke of?" she asked her cousin.</p><p>"Well obviously not the golden carving," Edmund said smartly, earning a glare from Madelynn.</p><p>"Look!" Lucy exclaimed, walking to the other side of the room. "Susan's bow and arrow!" Caspian then proceeded to hand the two their old belongings that he kept stored away, and Peter's sword, which Edmund told him to keep, however reluctantly it may have been. Edmund was simply given his old flashlight.</p><p>"Thanks," he muttered.</p><p>"A flashlight?" Madelynn barked in laughter, stopping when the other three gave her an odd look. "Sorry." But, the laughter resumed when Edmund accidentally flashed the light into his eye.</p><p>Caspian ran over plans with the High King and Queen, alongside the captain who's name she didn't know, which Madelynn tuned out. She had no understanding of the Giants or other kingdoms, and was still lost on why Lucy brought her along.</p><p>"There is peace across all of Narnia."</p><p>"Peace?" Edmund said, astonished.</p><p>"In just three years."</p><p>"And have you found yourself a queen in those three years?" asked Lucy with a sly smirk on her face.</p><p>"No. Not one to compare with your sister." Madelynn's eyes widened.</p><p>"You and Susan?" she gasped with a smile. "How rude of her not to tell me."</p><p>"You didn't know this place was real until a few hours ago," Edmund mused, earning a glare. "And they only ever kissed once."</p><p>"Once that you know of," Lucy snapped.</p><p>"It was only once," Caspian confirmed.</p><p>"I still would have liked to know," Madelynn grumbled. "As her older cousin I'm entitled to this type of information."</p><p>"You thought Lucy was an up and coming fantasy author when she would mention Narnia-"</p><p>"Edmund I'm going to strangle you," Madelynn snapped. "Okay, continue, Caspian."</p><p>"Ladylike," Caspian laughed once more.</p><p>"Unoriginal. You already used that one. You need to spice things up a bit."</p><p>"You are quite the interesting character, Madelynn."</p><p>"I do my best."</p><p>Edmund gagged. "Wait, hang on. So if there are no wars to fight, and no one's in trouble, why are we here?"</p><p>"That's a good question," Caspian sighed. "I've been asking myself the same thing."</p><p>"So where are we sailing to?"</p><p>"Before I took back the throne from my uncle, he tried to kill my father's closest friends and most loyal supporters. The seven lords of Telmar. They fled to the Lone Island. No one's heard from them since."</p><p>"So you think something's happened to them?"</p><p>"Well if it has, it's my duty to find out."</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The sun was still sitting high above the water, as Caspian and the Captain, Drinian, wrapped up their conversation with The High King and Queen. Madelynn had almost fallen asleep many times, still perched in the small window seat in The King’s- or rather now her and Lucy’s cabin. Even attempting to listen to the voyage plans made her head hurt. Nothing in Narnia made sense to her, and while she was taking to the news of being transported to a magical land </span>
  <em>
    <span>well, </span>
  </em>
  <span>per say, she still convinced herself it was something slipped in her tea causing hyper-realistic dreams. Maybe she tightened her corset too tight and it’s restricting blood flow to her brain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Madelynn loved the look of the ocean, but sailing across the sea in a magical other world was much different than sitting by the shoreline on Earth with a book. In theory, the ocean was perfect for her, with the ambiance of the crashing waves and the beauty of the surroundings. It was perfect on paper, but the sand was too scratchy, the sun was too hot, and the waves were too rough. For the most part, the waters of Narnia were relatively calm, but the constant swaying of the elegant vessel was enough to make anyone without their sea legs uneasy. She loved the look of the ocean, but not sailing, or the waves. They made her anxious, with how uncertain the waters were. It had only been hours, and she missed the land, the warmth of the herbal tea that was now getting cold on her bedside table, and her books.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The brunette had stolen Caspian’s discarded jacket from the same bay window and wrapped it around her arms for some sort of warmth. She never asked if she could use it, but simply didn’t care. It smelled of the sea, as most things on the ship do, but also carried relaxing scents of evergreen trees and crisp spring air. It reminded her of walking through the forests back home, birds chirping and wind swirling around her like she could command the gusts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At some point, she allowed her eyes to ‘rest’, letting them shut and whisking her off into a dreamless sleep, the sounds of voices aiding her slumber as they explained things that were still forein to her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, look at that,” Edmund snorted a little while later, turning Lucy to face their sleeping cousin. “If only Charlie could see this.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, hush, Edmund. She has a right to be tired. And don’t bring up Charlie, for all of our sakes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Charlie?” Caspian asked, his back turned to the other three.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This bloke back home. Fancies her to the moon and back. He even gets her gifts that just randomly show up on her windowsill,” Edmund said, cringing. Caspian turned to face them a bit quicker than he would have hoped.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And does she fancy him back?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She-” Edmund began.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not at all.” Lucy cut him off with a glare. “Creeps her out, more so.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’d lose his mind if he were here! </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, my dear Madelynn, no need for you to take that fellow’s coat! I’ll rush home and fetch you one of mine! Far nicer material, mine is!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>mocked Edmund. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was only then that Caspian looked back over to the bench where Madelynn had been sitting throughout the exchange. Her head had lolled to the side, resting on the glass that faced the endless sea, tight brunette curls cascading down her shoulder under the maroon jacket thrown over her figure, hands grasped around the edges to pull it closer. </span>
  <em>
    <span>She looks so peaceful,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought. Most nights, Caspian’s sleep was troubled by memories of his uncle, plans of the voyage ahead, or the lives lost in battle. He realized Madelynn was a girl whose thoughts were not plagued by stressors of lives she took, or at least as of right now, the thought of Narnia’s future on her shoulders. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He sounds horrid,” Caspian said after a few seconds.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He is,” Edmund shuttered. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s all I had for you guys,” said The King. “I’ll get this all cleaned up.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright,” Lucy replied with a smile. “I would like to go visit Reep, anyways. Edmund, are you coming?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I was actually wondering if you had a spare sword?” He asked Caspian. “A friendly duel sounds quite fun right now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, of course. There should be some on the deck. I’ll be out in a few minutes.” King Caspian began to roll up the maps that he had displayed across the table, putting them back in their designated spots. He was going to find the 7 lords. It was his destiny. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He noticed how Madelynn shifted in her sleep, pulling the stolen jacket around her body tighter. Looking around the chamber quickly, Caspian grabbed the small throw blanket that sat at the foot of the bed, gently placing it over the girl’s sleeping figure, and she visibly relaxed at the added weight. Her relaxation was short-lived, however, when Caspian walked backwards and knocked over the corkboard holding the portraits of the Lords, sending a loud, reverberating </span>
  <em>
    <span>crash</span>
  </em>
  <span> throughout the room. After a few seconds, she turned her head and rubbed her eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, I’m terribly sorry,” Caspian said quickly. “I did not intend on waking you, but you just looked a bit cold.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s fine,” Madelynn yawned. “I do my best when I only get moments of sleep. But, I do think I’ve stolen this from you.” Talking off the blanket and the jacket, she handed the maroon fabric back to Caspian with a small smile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s quite alright. I have no need for it.” he pushed the jacket back to her, sitting next to her on the bench. “How are you finding things on board?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Everything is fine. I’ve just never been one for sailing.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Caspian looked a bit shocked. “How does one not enjoy sailing?” He laughed with a grand smile. “The waves cascading across the landscape, beautiful and blue for as far as the eye can see. The way they rock you to sleep, the scents of the ocean calming your mind.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s the rocking that unsettles me, actually,” Madelynn chuckled. “I never seemed to gain my sea legs.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, hopefully on this journey you will,” he said gently, taking his calloused hand and placing it over her’s, guiding it to the window and pressing them together on the glass facing the vast sea.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow,” gasped Madelynn, watching as sea nymphs swam up behind the boat, leaping out of the water with grace.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Beautiful creatures, aren’t they?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Truly.” The Nymphs waved, their skin almost transparent like the water, as if they were one with it. Narnia was full of magical things, and Madelynn had yet to see more than just the surroundings of the Dawn Treader.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I did promise your cousin a duel, so I must be on my way,” Caspian said quickly, pulling his hand off of hers as if she burned him. Grabbing Peter’s sword, he left the chamber without another word, but she caught the panicked look in his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Had I done something wrong?</span>
  </em>
  <span> She thought to herself, remembering the way he pulled away his hand. She sat there pondering only for a little bit, willing herself not to fall back asleep again. If this was in fact a dream, as she continually convinced herself, maybe she didn’t want to wake up just yet. It was all too much to take in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>By the time she reached the deck, there were joyful cheers, and the sounds of clanging swords filling the air. Finding Lucy among the crowd, the two girls watched Edmund and Caspian swing at each other, brightly smiling each time they got close to striking. In the end, Caspian slid his blade to reach Edmund’s neck, signaling his win and cheers from the crew.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You've grown stronger, my friend,” he laughed, patting Edmund on the shoulder.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Seems I have.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright!” Drinian yelled. “Back to work!”’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Putting the blade back into his belt, Caspian bagan to walk back from the main deck, running into Madelynn staring off at the sea. “I seem to have missed the duel,” she said, eyes trained on the horizon.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fall back asleep again?” he joked, standing beside her, wind blowing through his hair. He acted as if he didn’t jerk away moments ago.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, actually. Just a bit too lazy to get up.” Lie.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, I see,” The King laughed. “Do you have any experience with swords?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Father forced me to attend fencing lessons when I was 14, but that was almost 5 years ago.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re 19?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just about. I will be in a few months back home.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How very interesting,” he mused, turning onto his back and using his elbows to prop himself up. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He’s quite improper for a King,</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought to herself. “If you’re still feeling uncomfortable, I can send out a search party for those missing sea legs of yours.” Madelynn tried to hide her snort.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>That was what he came up with?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I fear that your efforts would be better used on Eustace,” she cringed as her brother opened the hatch and climbed onto the deck, mouth moving in rapid fire complaints. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He never had them to begin with.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Touche.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll have you know, as soon as we find civilization, I’m contacting the British Consul!” Eustace shouted, walking closer to where Madelynn and Caspian stood. “Have you all arrested for kidnapping!” With a glimmer of mischief in his eyes, Caspian placed himself right in front of Eustace, causing the boy to run into his chest. Madelynn snorted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kidnapping, is it?” he chuckled. “That’s funny. I thought we saved your life.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You held me against my will!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did I?” He seemed to find this all very amusing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, hush, Eustace. Where are you going to go anyways?” Madelynn quipped.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You side with these… these barbarians? Father is going to know this. My own sister betraying me, leaving me a castaway on a strange ship!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, tell me, oh smart Eustace? Where would you go if you could leave this ship? Surely not home. No way back to England right now, as far as I can tell.” Lucy nodded. “Shall you wade in the water and get devoured eventually by some friendly, abnormally sized Narnian water monster? He may sit you out at the sheer taste, though.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I will not be eaten by some water monster! That’s- That’s not going to happen.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It won't if you shut your unusually large yap and be thankful they didn’t leave you to drown in the ocean.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s quite the complainer, isn’t he?” Reepicheep chimed in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s just warming up,” Edmund sighed with a sour look. Lucy and Madelynn nodded in agreement. As much as she loved her brother, he was quite the handful.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>However, nobody was complaining about the next thing spoken. “Land ho!” Shouted the man atop the ship, extending his arm to face the small island as the rest of the crew scattered to prepare for landing. Running up the stairs and next to the captain, Caspian looked like a child in a candy shop, grinning in awe of the island emerging from the horizon. The sun behind them was lowering as the Dawn Treader turned to face the mass of land.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Land the first day we’re here,” Edmund laughed, running up behind Caspian. “Wonderful!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aslan does things for a reason,” Lucy added.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The lone islands,” Drinian explained. “The ports of Narrowhaven.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Caspian lowered his looking glass, raising his eyebrows as the wind blew through his hair. “Strange, not a Narnian flag in sight.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But the Lone Islands have always been Narnias,” Edmund added, taking the looking glass Caspian offered and raising it to his eyes. Seagulls called in the distance, flying low over the waters surrounding the island.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Drinian seemed just as sceptical as the Kings. “Seems suspicious.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I say we prepare a landing party. Drinian?” The captain glanced at Caspian before replying.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Forgive me, your majesty, but the chain of command starts with King Caspian on this ship.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Edmund was taken aback. “Right.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’ll use the longboats,” Caspian stated, trying to veer the conversation away to avoid a fight. “Drinian, pick some men and come ashore.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aye!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tavros.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Man the longboats!” Tavros bellowed to the crew, “Furl the sail and prepare to drop anchor!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The island looked beautiful as the ship got closer to shore, covered in mixes of white sands and cobblestone. The side was scattered with what appeared to be ruins of some sorts, but the boats in the harbor told them that the island was not vacant. A select few crew members, along with Madelynn, Eustace, Edmund, Caspian, and Lucy gathered in small boats to get to the docs and explore the island. Both Scrubb children had been reluctant at first, but Madelynn was swayed by Lucy and she then forced Eustace to follow. He wanted off of the ship just as much as she did, so touching solid ground might do him some good. The Scrubb children were not quit suited for adventure.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Night was nearing, and the delicate blue sky speckled with clouds began to shift into pinks and purples as the crew rowed towards the lone islands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Onward!” Shouted Reepicheep, standing atop his boat. “The thrill of the unknown lies ahead!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Couldn’t this have waited till the morning?” snarled Eustace, bags under his eyes and ruffles in his hair. Madelynn simply rolled her eyes, although she did agree.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There is no honor in turning away from an adventure, lad.” the nobel mouse scolded as crew began to load onto the dock.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I have no honor,” Madelynn snorted under her breath, standing up in an attempt to climb off the longboat, only to lose her center of balance and fall back onto the bench. Eustace shot her a snobby look as Reepicheep cringed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Listen,” Lucy interjected. “Where is everyone?” There was no chatter from the islands. No bustling streets or clammer of boots on cobblestone. Simply silence, and nothing more. As Caspian, Lucy, and Edmund began to climb the stairs, the Scrubb children remained in the boat. Each time she went to stand, Madelynn felt the boat sway, and her heart raced. She hated it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on, jelly legs,” Reepicheep sighed, extending a small hand to Eustace.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The boy began to climb out for himself in an almost spider-like fashion. “I’m capable of doing it myself,” he snarled. Then he enjoyed a hearty meal of stone pavers as his face met the ground. Reepicheep simply sighed yet again. Madelynn would have laughed, but as she went to stand and help her younger brother, the boat swayed again and out of fear, she jumped onto the island in the least graceful fashion possible, getting a mouthful of dirt for herself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And you’re certain these two are related by blood?” Caspian questioned the Pevensie children, watching their cousins flounder. He looked to be seriously questioning their family tree. Lucy looked back before turning around and following Caspian further up the stone steps. He had taken out a crossbow, removing it from the place strapped to his back and making sure it was ready to fire. The island was eerily empty, with the “ruins” less elegant when one was up close and personal. There was not one sign of life, and that set everyone on edge. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They circled around the stone, most men armed with swords, Caspian and his bow, Lucy with her dagger, but Madelynn and Eustace were defenseless, without the skills to dawn a proper weapon. Madelynn knew she'd probably break her wrist trying to throw a punch, and get too cocky with a blade and end up stabbing herself. She hardly trusted herself with a butter knife back home. Needless to say she wasn’t the most intelligent when it came to physical combat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her skin crawled as the large clang of a bell rang through the silent atmosphere, shaking the ground and startling their small landing party. The little voice in her head was screaming at her to run back to the longboats and get away while she still could, but her legs would not obey. Caspian aimed his crossbow to where crows fled in a flock, desperate to move away from the noise. It came from up in the empty town.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Reepicheep,” Caspian said, facing the mouse and putting down his crossbow, with a head shaped like a bird, “Stay here with Drinian’s men and secure the place. We’ll head on. If we don’t come back by dawn, send a party.” Eustace frantically ran his eyes around the perimeter of the island, searching for some safe haven, yet finding nothing as Caspian began up the stairs, silently acknowledging him, his sister, and cousins to follow suit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, your majesty,” bowed Reepicheep before scampering off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Madelynn grabbed Eustace’s shoulder when she sensed his hesitation. “Come on, surely Caspian isn’t leading us to our deaths,” she laughed, ruffling his hair slightly and dragging him along with her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The town looked as if it were painted in gloomy greys as the sun set farther under the western horizon. Each building appeared more dilapidated and tattered than the last, and grime painted the desolate landscaping. Keeping her brother close, Madelynn warily walked forward, no idea the danger lurking around each wall</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>As always leave comments/kudos/constructive criticism &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Eustace ran his fingertips along the rotting wood that made up cracked window covers and felt the softened planks flaking under his touch as small sheets fell to the cobblestone path beneath his feet. He reached one building where the boards were cracked where there once should have stood a glass panel, and upon stealing a glance inside, he was met with a family. There was a mother, her husband, a daughter, and a young boy, all trembling in the corner in what he could have only assumed was fear. They had no blankets for warmth, and shotty shelter from the wind’s harsh blows, but what could he do?</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>He kept walking so as to not stray far from his sister, for she was still among the group.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Yeah, so looks like nobody’s in, so do you think we should head back?” he said quickly, dashing farther away from the window. Edmund, who was substantially further along the path than Eustace turned to face his cousin first.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Do you wanna come here and… guard… something?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Ah, yes!” he began to scurry over in what could only be described as a shuffle. “Good idea, cousin! Very, uhm… logical!” Edmund simply made a face before walking up to the door Caspian stood in front of. It was solid metal, detailed with layers of criss-crossing stripes and engravings.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“I’ll stay back with him,” Madelynn spoke up, causing everyone to stop once more.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“I don’t need a chaperone!” Her brother scoffed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“I think it’s better for you two to stay out here,” Caspian interjected, walking over and yanking the dagger from his holster, tossing it in the air and grabbing it by the blade before handing it to Madelynn. “Don’t hurt yourself.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“I can’t promise you that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>Eustace’s face turned beet-red. “This is preposterous! Why don’t I get one!” he snapped. Lucy rolled her eyes, grabbing her own dagger and gently handing it to Eustace before the three turned to the door once more. “I’ve got it, I’ve got it. Don’t worry.” Madelynn snorted. “I’m ready to go when you are!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“At ease, soldier,” Madelynn said in an attempt to get Eustace to untense. He jerked around at every sudden movement or sound, and was probably going to slice her if she got any closer. “You don’t need to keep it at eye’s height the entire time.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“And how would you know? You’ve never used a dagger before!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“I’ve sliced cake with a knife before. I’d say it’s close enough.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“How can you joke at a time like this?” he questioned her, genuinely. “We’ve been torn away from our home, away from mum and dad, yet here you are trying to make me laugh as if I’ve merely stubbed my toe. How are you not afraid?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>Truth be told, she was terrified. None of this was processing in her mind quick enough for her to make sense of it. By the looks of it, the crew was kind, but how was she to know? But she knew, as always, she had to be strong for Eustace. If she showed that she was afraid, how was he to keep his head up?</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“I simply live for adventure, dear brother.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“You and I both know you’re hiding something.” Madelynn cursed that he was right, grasping the handle of Caspian’s dagger til’ her knuckles turned white. If she had it her way, she would be home again, reading a book with her cup of tea and the ambiance of her cousin bickering. No boats, no sea, no magical land. Just her and England, like it was supposed to be. She didn’t understand Narnia, or how it worked, but she knew that as of right now, she wasn’t the biggest fan.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>Suddenly, she heard the clanging of bells from inside the building her cousins and Caspian were in, then the screaming of men that were most certainly not from the crew. These yells were cries of battle, but before she could even turn her head to look, a large, dirt covered hand grabbed her mouth from behind, keeping her facing straight ahead as the other arm restrained her hands with shackles.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>The dagger dropped from her hands, hitting the cobblestone with a clash as she strained her eyes to find Eustace, screaming against the hand over her mouth. She could hardly see him, but he was there, restrained as well, legs thrashing as he tried to fight the man 3 times his size.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>Madelynn bit the hand covering her mouth, almost drawing blood with her canines as the man jerked it away in pain, allowing her to scream. Through all their fighting, they had ended up inside the building, the doors shutting behind them. But now, as the battling stopped, she felt the cool sting of metal tickling her throat. The blade of Caspian’s dagger was now pressed to her neck. Everyone looked to the doorway, where both Madelynn and Eustace stopped their thrashing so as to not get their necks slit, and saw the looks of realization in the other three’s faces.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Unless you wanna hear this one squeal again, I’d say you should drop your weapons,” the man holding Madelynn said, walking her forward. As he pushed her closer to the group, he grabbed a fistfull of her brown curls, yanking them back and exposing more of her neck as her head tilted back. It strained her eyes to look towards everyone else, but she needed to make sure they were okay.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Leave her alo-” Eustace began, only to be cut off and have the dagger moved closer to his neck.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“NOW!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>Lucy was the first to throw her sword down, rage filling her body as she looked the man in the eyes. Caspian lowered his weapon to the ground gently, never breaking his eyes from Madelynn and Eustace, along with the sparkling metal that grazed their skin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Eustace,” Edmund began, almost scolding.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Put them in iron,” the man spoke again, yanking Madelynn’s closer to him by her wrists as he began to walk forward.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Get your hands off of me!” Lucy exclaimed as men shackled her wrists together.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Let’s take these three to the market,” Madelynn’s captor snarled. “Send those two to the dungeons,” he motioned to Edmund and Caspian.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Listen to me, you insolent fool!” Caspain began to run forward, only to be stopped and restrained as he thrashed in the men’s grasps. “I am your king!” His yells were filled with fiery rage that even startled Madelynn. One man punched Edmund in the face before walking him away. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“You’re going to pay for that!” The high king snapped as he was pushed around. A man in nicer looking clothes stepped forward, his hair long and matted under a hat. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Actually,” he bagan in a cool tone, “Someone else is going to pay. For all of you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lucy screamed out for Edmund and Caspain as they were dragged in seperate directions, and Caspian’s gaze met Madelynn’s for a split second before she was gone, dragged away to who knows where. He could see the tears brimming in her eyes, whether from fear of pain, and the small red mark from where </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> dagger was pressed to her throat, threatening to draw blood.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He saw her roll her ankle while walking, the whimper of pain as her captor yanked her curls back farther and pushed her forward. He was still trying to run in the opposite direction that he was being taken, screaming until his voice grew scratched and horace, fighting to get back to Lucy, Eustace, and Madelynn. To free himself and save them. Yet, he was one man against three, and they each weighed significantly more than him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Caspian, king or not, could not fight his way out of these shackles as he was thrown into the dungeon for the night.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  
  
  
  
  
  <span>~*~</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Keep walking, pretty lady,” Madelynn heard the man holding her snarl in her ear, shoving her forward to increase their pace. “We’re going to fetch a nice price for you.” The knife had since been dropped, discarded into the man’s pocket when her life wasn’t needed to be toyed with to make the others bend to their will.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not going to be sold,” she spat, attempting to fight away, but his hand in her hair restricted her movements to kicking. She didn’t want to twist her neck in his grasp. The other man in the nice robes was walking ahead of the group, almost as if he was leading the way. Eustace was kept far away from her, and both he and Lucy had stopped their thrashing and fighting, quickly realizing there was no way they could fight the large men.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly the man in front stopped walking, and everyone followed suit. He began to pace back towards the end where Madelynn was being restrained, his hands clasped behind his back as he took slow steps. When he reached her, he placed a hand under her chin, tilting her head up and to the sides, as if examining her complexion. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She comes with me,” he said to the man, and Eustace and Lucy began to scream and thrash in protest, yet nobody listened. “I have a buyer lined up who would pay a hefty price for her. He’s been waiting for someone like this.” They had reached a fork in the halls, where Eustace and Lucy were pulled one way, and Madelynn another. She cried for Lucy and her Brother, fighting to get away, but to no avail. They were gone, just like Caspian and Edmund, leaving her alone to be sold off like some pig. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She’s going to need to get cleaned up,” the man holding her said, pushing her along as his foul breath brushed against her skin. “No buyer wants a woman caked in dirt.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That has already been prepared for,” the man in the robes snapped. “Do not take me for a fool.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, sir. I was merely-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Silence. The buyer is being notified as we speak. She’ll be off our hands within the next hour or so.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She would have spoken up, but she couldn’t form words. Her captors spoke as if she was not being dragged right next to them, but her body was practically paralized in fear. She walked forward as if she was a drone of her former self, marching into whatever came next as a shell of the woman she was before Narnia. There were no witty remarks or brash acts of rebellion, because this wasn’t simply teasing Eustace or fighting with someone over the last apple at the fruit stand. Her life was on the line, and she didn’t want to die today.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her head echoed with Eustace’s screams of her name. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I should have fought harder, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she told herself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m supposed to protect him.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly, they turned a corner and faced a wooden door, where the man in clean robes unclasped the lock and pushed it open, allowing her to get shoved inside after her shackles were unlocked. There were candles keeping the room lit and warm, but no windows or means of escape. She hit the floor hard, landing on her side with her arms breaking her fall.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Find one that fits, darling. Make yourself presentable. You have 10 minutes at most.” he told her, then the door slammed shut and she heard the lock re clasp. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She could have ran, broke down the wooden door, took a candle and set the room aflame, but she was not a high queen, or a warrior. She was simply Madelynn Scrubb, a girl in an unfamiliar place and torn away from her family. She wasn’t a fighter, or a tactical mind. So, Madelynn walked over to the chest that sat in the corner of the room and rummaged through it until she found the skimpy silk outfit that would fit her body, reluctantly slipping it on. She was given no shoes or shall, just left with bare feet and shivering shoulders.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The outfit was red, with golden colored beads cascading down her torso. The top hardly covered more than a bikini top would. Her legs were exposed, with only two stripes of silk- one in the front and on in the back- covering the space in between them, the red material brushing the floor whenever she walked. She felt </span>
  <em>
    <span>too</span>
  </em>
  <span> exposed as she fluffed out her curls from where the man had grabbed them. Wiping the tears from her cheeks, Madelynn took a deep breath.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If I do what they say, maybe they won’t hurt me,” she whispered to herself. “I’ll be able to find Eustace and get back on that horrid ship. The closer I am to that the closer I am to home.” There was a bang on the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Time’s up,” she heard them say. Making sure there was no trace of her tears, she straightened out the fabric and allowed her hands to be reshackled as the door opened and she was pushed along.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Madelynn felt the beads that graced her stomach sway back and forth, tickling her skin as she walked barefoot across the dirty floor. She had some idea as to what was going to happen to her, but she tried not to think about it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She could feel the stares from the man pushing her along, his eyes tracing her body as she walked and the fabric moved, exposing more of her legs wherever she took a step. It was disgusting.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do not act out of turn. Speak when spoken too. Do not disobey, unless you wish to get hurt,” the man in the robes said without turning to face her. After a while of walking, she could see the stars in the sky and the bright moon, but no signs as to when they would stop. That was until they reached a large house atop the hills. It was many stories tall, with clean windows and shining decor outside. The man in the robes knocked on the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man who answered was tall, with neatly kept black hair and eyes like quartz. He eyed Madelynn up and down, before placing his hand against her exposed back and ushering her inside.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come inside, my dear. Rowen, shall we talk price?” He said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She stays here until we have the money in our hands.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You and I both know that I’ll have the money.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“2,000 minims.” The man grabbed a pouch of silver coins from his pocket and placed it in the hands of Rowen. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Plus a little extra for such a beautiful woman. Take your rusty shackles off of her at once.” When Madelynn’s wrists were free, she felt the man’s palm against her back once more as he guided her inside the lavish house. Her leg trembled, but she showed no signs of it as she attempted to think of some sort of escape plan.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  
  
  
  
  
  <span>~*~</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Caspian kicked against the door of the dungeon he and Edmund had been brought to, screaming in rage as it didn’t budge. It was solid metal, with similar engravings to the door that led them into the trap that got them in their current situation. His hair fell messily over his face as he ran his fingers through it, taking heavy breaths of frustration.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you alright?” he asked Edmund, who was laying on the floor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Edmund granted as he pushed himself up from the ground, running his hands over his wrinkled shirt and rubbing his head. Caspian kicked the door again, and same as last time, it didn’t fall. He kicked once more, a crackling scream escaping his lips as he used all of his weight. He was upset about so many things. THey had been sailing for months, yet there was no sign of the lords. He just watched Lucy and her cousins dragged away in shackles to be sold, and he was trapped with Edmund in a dark dungeon for Aslan knows how long. His crew was tired, he was tired, and now he found himself at a dead end.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Reepicheep will send a party by dawn, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he reminded himself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Not all hope is lost. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s hopeless.” Both snapped their heads around to the direction of the new voice. “You’ll never get out.” It came from the end of the room, covered from any light, encased in blackness.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Who’s there?” Edmund questioned, slowly walking closer to the voice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nobody. Just a voice in my head.” Without hesitation, Caspian neared the darkness, encouraging the man to come out closer to the light. When the sun hit his face, the old man looked shocked to see Caspian standing in front of him. The King’s reaction almost mirrored.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Lord Bern?” he asked hesitantly, moving closer still. The old man’s face registered shocked before he spoke once more.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Perhaps once. But I am no longer deserving of that title.” His hair and beard were both long and untamed, both a shade of silver as the crow’s feet near his eyes wrinkled. Caspian turned his head to face Edmund, who was still standing back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is he one of the seven?” he asked. Caspian nodded before walking to Lord Bern and crouching beside him, allowing the sunlight to encompass his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Y-your face,” Bern whispered in shock. “You remind me of a king I once loved well.” A smile graced Caspian’s face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That man was my father.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lord Bern’s voice trembled as he leaned back ever so slightly. “Oh, my lord. Please forgive me.” He went to bow, but Caspian stopped him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, please. Please,” he said, helping the man back to his feet. “There’s no need.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Edmund heard a horse neigh in distress in the distance, so he hoisted himself up to level with the barred window. He was met with a woman crying. No. Pleading. For what, he couldn’t tell just yet. A cart wheeled by at high speeds, followed by a man chasing it. He fought his way through the people trying to stop him as he screamed out for his wife, who was chained to the cart and couldn’t escape. A young girl tried to follow her father, but he told her to stay back as she screamed for her mother.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly, the man was thrown back and punched, smacking the ground as his wife was carted off with countless others to a destination unknown to Edmund.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Stay with daddy!” The woman shouted to her daughter, who cried as she watched the events unfold.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t worry!” Her husband shouted. “I’ll find you!” Then she was gone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Caspian brought his face to the bars alongside Edmund, watching in horror as men loaded the people in the carriage into longboats, their screams of pleads and terror filling the air.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Where are they taking them?” he asked Lord Bern frantically. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Any of the three could be next. Maybe they were already gone.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Keep watching,” The lord replied. Caspian and Edmund saw the people chained to the boats were pushed to sea, thunder beginning to rumble as the skies turned dark. Tendrils of green colored mist emerged from the waters as the day sky turned dark, leaping from the water like nymphs as the people cried in horror.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The mist consumed the boat, and both were gone in an instant.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What happened?” Caspian said breathlessly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s a sacrifice.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“W-what happened to them?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No one knows.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I kinda pictured her outfit like the one Leia was wearing when she was enslaved by Jabba the Hut in Starwars but the top wasn’t made of metal :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>For Clarity since I didn’t explain it well. Caspian and Edmund slept before talking to Lord Bern. We pick up the chapter with Madelynn right where we left her the day before.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Madelynn felt the icy sting of marble floors under her bare feet as she was guided through the house, rubbing her wrists gingerly where the shackles had once made contact with her flesh. They left red marks and irritation, along with flakes of rust that stained patches of her skin orange from the oxidized iron. Her head was spinning, heart pumping so loud it was like a symphony in her mind, but she walked alongside the man with the quartz eyes as if she wasn’t ready to collapse in on herself and sob.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She had been in Narnia for mere hours, and it had already managed to prove to her that she was not as strong as she would have liked to believe. Of course, this was nothing compared to England, for England didn’t have magical nymphs, 19 year old Kings, and minotaurs. Yet, she was still bashing herself for not having the stomach to kick this man down where he stood next to her and run away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She kept pretending Eustace was here. Ever since he was born, she had been his rock. If they were both sad, or scared, she never showed it, because she didn’t want to make things worse for him. She wanted to make sure he could look at her and see a light in the dark, and that he could find safety with his sister. Of course, as he got older, he would rather not admit that he still needed her to keep him from sinking under the water, but she knew. She always knew.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So now, as Madelynn Scrubb resisted the urge to squirm against the uncalloused hand against her back, she imagined her younger brother grabbing her right forearm and holding onto it like he always used to do. If Eustace was here, that meant she had to be strong. If Eustace could see her, she couldn’t show fear, or sadness, or regret. She had to collapse into a shell of her former self, quivering in her own body like a scared animal while she walked with her head held high and a predator caressing her skin. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She walked as if her life was not just valued at 2,000 minims.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly, the man stopped walking. Placing two hands on her shoulders, he turned her body to face him, grabbing her chin and tilting her head to get a better look at her face. They had stepped farther away from the entrance, where moon didn’t stream through windows, and nobody but them remained.“Well, we’re going to need to put you on a diet. I can’t have one of my girls looking like a pig in silks. Certainly not when we have guests over.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It took everything in Madelynn not to scoff. She had come to terms with her weight years ago, after constant teasing from her peers or calls from men on the streets. Her size became her armor, and she wasn’t about to let a man who thinks women can be bought and sold crack the surface. Even still, it hurt. Armor could be dented, no matter its strength, and hers had already absorbed blows overtime. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man gently grabbed her curls, pushing them over her shoulder so they fell down her back. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I won’t get hurt if I do what he wants. Then I can find out how to get out of here, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she kept telling herself. The voice in her head sounded a lot more confident than she actually felt.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You need to get cleaned up before I can even consider having you around the house,” he sneered. The calm facade that she saw when he was at the door slowly crumbled away, showing a more harsh persona. His voice changed from a cool, cut glass to one with jagged edges and sharp shards, ready to slice anyone who did not bend to his will. He seized her still aching wrists, sending a shockwave of burning pain throughout her skin. She hardly had time to move her feet before she was practically dragged to the staircase, stumbling over each steep step and jamming her toes on the concrete. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Getting thrown into a small room with a mattress on the floor and a small washroom, she put on a pair of lavish slippers that were left for her and thought of ways to make a run for it. There was a window that allowed moonlight to seep into the dull room, but it was a long fall, and she had a fear of heights. Another possibility had been to sprint down the steps and out the front door, but there was no way she would make it. In the end, she wasn’t King Edmund the Just, or Queen Lucy the Valiant. She was simply Madelynn Scrubb, and she drew a bath. At least the house did not rock like the boat.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>~*~</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Caspian lowered himself from the window, walking over to Lord Bern. He had just watched a boat full of people disappear with a green mist, leaving no trace but the wake of the longboat in the water. Their pleas and screams echoed in his head, haunting him  as if he was the reason they were dead. He felt like their blood was on his hands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> “The mist was first seen in the east,” Lord Bern explained. “Reports of fishermen and sailors disappearing at sea. We lords made a pact to find the source of the mist and destroy it.” Edmund and Caspian listened intently. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How had they never heard of the mist?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They each set sail, but none came back.” Caspian tried to hide his shock. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Had I been looking for dead men all along?</span>
  </em>
  <span> He asked himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t understand,” Edmund spoke.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You see, if they don’t sell you to the slave traders, you’re likely to be fed to the mist.” Caspian’s jaw clenched.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We have to find Lucy!” rushed Edmund. “Before it’s too late.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you know where they would be?” Caspian questioned Bern.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don-” He was cut off by armed men, storming into the dungeon and shackling their hands once more, leading Edmund and Caspian out of the cell with brute force. Yet this time, they didn’t fight back. They knew that they were being led straight to Lucy, Madelynn, and Eustace. Reepicheep should have sent a crew by now, also. Things were finally looking up for a change. As they got closer to the town’s square, the sounds of an auction echoed through the air.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And now, for this fine specimen!” a man shouted to the crowd. “Who’ll kick off the bidding?” Nobody spoke “Come on, now. He may not look like much, but he’s- uh- strong!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, he’s strong alright,” a man scoffed. “Smells like the rear end of a Minotaur!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That is an </span>
  <em>
    <span>outrageous </span>
  </em>
  <span>lie!” Eustace exclaimed, shuffling forward in his shackles as the laughter from the man’s comment died down. “I won the school hygiene award two years running!” Caspian couldn’t help but cringe as he was shoved along.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His chains clanged together loudly as he attempted to examine the island while walking, looking for a way out. That's when he heard his voice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll take them off your hands. I’ll take them all off your hands!” A man in the crowd removed his hood, revealing himself to be Reepicheep atop Drinian’s shoulder. One by one, more of Caspian’s men revealed themselves to make up most of the auction’s crowd, drawing swords and preparing to fight. “For Narnia!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then all hell broke loose.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The air was filled with the clangs of metal on metal as Caspian was still being pushed along, but as the man in front of him hesitated, Caspian took his still shackled hands and slammed them into the slaver’s head who stood behind him. He wasted no time pushing the other one off of the small bridge they stood on. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Edmund fought beside him, making due with the fact that they had no keys to free their hand, but could battle all the same. Caspian frantically multitasked by looking for any signs of where Eustace, Lucy, and Madelynn were, but his sight was faulty as he dodged blades.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Caspian had to fight with brute strength alone, grabbing the man's hand and swinging his arm so his shoulder dislocated with a sound pop. He kicked him down, knocking his head so he fell unconscious. Edmund had already managed to get the keys off another slaver, and they were quickly tossed into his hands. He was finally free of the iron chains holding him back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Looking around, he could spot Eustace and Lucy, but not Madelynn. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nobody could.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>~*~</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She stood in front of the large window of her dusty room, trying to ease her nerves and stop thinking about how far the fall will be. She had a plan— hang from the ledge so the drop wasn’t as bad, and then she would just run. Hopefully she could find the crew. The mouse should have sent for a party by now. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She would find her way back to Eustace. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her back ached terribly from a night of restless sleep, but that couldn’t get in the way of her freedom. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast yesterday, and it took a lot for her not to tear up thinking of her mother fussing over dinner if she ever said she wanted something to eat. She was such a kind woman. Why she was with a man like her father she couldn’t say. Her warm smile was enough to drown out his icy nature, and the house always smelled of cakes and cookies to drown out the stench of spilled beer and cigarette smoke.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The glass was already cracked open, and she stepped over to sit on the ledge, taking a deep breath before preparing to shimmy over and fall. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But a cold, uncalloused hand grabbed her throat before she had the chance to exhale. The man’s ring pressed into her skin, the sharp coolness of the metal stinging as she was dragged backwards by her neck, away from the window and away from her only shot a freedom. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t speak. There was no cool, cut glass voice, or jagged screams. Just a suffocating silence as her feet stumbled to keep pace. Black spots formed around her vision as her breaths grew frantic and labored and her head spun. They made it to the front of the house, right by the door before he stopped. She was swiftly slapped across the face. Hard. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The diamond ring that was on one of his fingers cut across her cheek, and she felt the warm trickle of blood along with the sharp sting of the slap. She was too exhausted to react.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No second chances,” the man barked, slapping a pair of shackles on her wrists and dragging her by the chain. One wrong move and her wrists were broken. She tried to run backwards, sideways, or any direction away from the man with the grey eyes, but in the end he was twice her size and three times as strong. There was yelling in the distance, along with what sounded like swords, but she couldn’t be certain.  She didn’t want to give herself false hope.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She still fought, even knowing that her efforts were futile. Madelynn Scrubb was not going to die today.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her thighs were chafing from her silk outfit, almost tripping over the awkward fabric each step. Wind harshly flew through her hair, blowing it into her face and sticking it to the slick layer of sweat. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man with the grey eyes did not pay attention to her grunts of protest, simply dragging her along like a child with a rag doll. He didn’t look back to see her tears. He had done this to many girls before. She was nothing special.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eventually, after Madelynn tired herself out, the man stopped at the docs, grabbing a discarded longboat from the Dawn Treader and shoving her onto it head first. It was harder to fight with a concussion. Next thing she knew, Madelynn’s boat was untied from the harbor and headed off to where the clouds turned murderous and the sounds of eerie screams and moans filled the air. The wails of those lost to the mist.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eustace saw all of it from the next dock over.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had run off as soon as the keys to his shackles were placed in his hands. Much like his sister, Eustace Scrubb was not a fighter. He had no reason to be. Whenever something went south, he had Madelynn or his father to make it right. He never had the need to face his fears. At least not alone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had been boarding another boat, persuading it to row itself before accidentally knocking a man into the water. Eustace thought it might of been the scream of the person he hit that rang through the air, but really it was more feminine.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was his sister’s voice. He looked over just in time to see her hit the floor of the boat and not rise again to fight. He did the one thing he knew how to do. He ran.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eustace allowed his wet to carry him back up to where the battle had been centered, but the fighting had since stopped. The people of the lone islands cheered for Caspian and his crew as they headed back towards the dock, with a new man walking beside them. Eustace recognized him as the man who lost his wife to the mist. That same mist that his sister was dreaded towards.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You there Someone Please help!” He shouted in their direction. Edmund rolled his eyes. “Please, she’s going to die!” That made them all stop. “I found Madelynn. She’s headed towards the mist!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Caspian sprinted forward, catching up to Eustace and signaling him to lead the way. He practically jumped down the stairs, running to the docs as if it was his own life on the line. Caspian didn’t hesitate to dive into the spare longboat and row towards where Madelynn floated.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her head ached terribly. By the time she had managed to get up without vomiting, she was swept up in the current and headed towards the rising mist. She didn’t understand what was, or what it did, but she had the brains to know it wasn’t anything good. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Paddling away didn’t work, and she felt the blood from her cut continue to drip down her cheek. Needless to say she wasn’t the biggest fan of Narnia so far. She could flip the boat, but could her shackles sink her? Was she really brave enough to just jump into the sea?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The mist kept inching forward to meet her, as if it ha a min of it’s own. Dark spots were all around her vision, and her body swayed side to side harshly. There was shouting. Her name? She couldn’t tell. But as the mist crept towards the longboat, her last breath of air before she collapsed off the side was heavy with </span>
  <em>
    <span>something.</span>
  </em>
  <span> But before she could think of possibilities, her shackles aided a plummet to the sea floor. SHe was already unconscious before she could notice the sea swelling around her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>CW// brief mentions of possible sexual harassment (none took place)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>The first thing that Caspian heard was the splash. It mixed in with the wails of the mist, but there was no scream or call for help. His back was turned to Madelynn, as he had to row and this was much more efficient than trying to keep an eye out for her. All he knew was that he had to go faster. He wasn’t trailing that far behind.</p><p>While his arms were already sore, muscles tensing with each stroke of the ores, Caspian kept going. It was his natural instinct to help. The cries from the mist seemed to get quieter and quieter, even though he was getting closer to where it was last he looked. Something was wrong. It was then he saw the tipped longboat and faint bubbles streaming from where the water rippled. </p><p>Without thinking twice, he took of his shirt and dove into the water, eyes wide in the dark sea looking for Madelynn. She hadn’t sunk far, but the irons on her wrists were weighing her body down and messing with the buoyancy. At first he assumed that she had jumped off to save herself, but she wasn’t thrashing or kicking in an attempt to resurface. She was simply floating with her head bobbing in beat with the tides, brunette curls forming a halo around her head. </p><p>The dark clouds covering the sky began to recede, casting a warm glow over her face. The mist was… going away? Caspian didn’t understand, but wasn’t allowed the time to ponder just yet. He kicked as hard as his body allowed, yanking on the chains between her shackles and pulling her limp body into his arms and resurfacing. Her eyes didn’t open. He may have been too late. </p><p>It was near impossible to board the longboat at the spot they were in, so Caspian simply pushed her in before pulling it beside him as he swam back. Throat dried from swallowing salt water, he pushed the boat with the waves headed towards the lone island’s doc where Eustace was pacing relentlessly, blabbering about something he couldn’t make out. </p><p>Caspian was lucky he wasn’t fighting against the waves like he was before. Instead, they aided him, pushing the boat and himself forward with added momentum. He didn’t have time to lose. Although his energy was nearly spent dry, King Caspian was not going to let Madelynn Scrubb die today. </p><p>He didn’t want any more blood on his hands. </p><p>He was raised as a pig for slaughter, only kept rested and fed until it was his uncle’s turn to have an heir. He had been kept happy until the moment they were given the signal to fill him with arrows as he slept. Caspian had simply been a pawn in Miraz’s poorly planned game of chess, and because of that he had to watch Narnians and Telmarines alike die. He had even driven his sword through the hearts of people that he once considered allies. Friends. </p><p>No matter how many times he bathed in the castle, the stench of thick blood never left the air, and the sensation of it on his skin didn’t go away. Battle had left him broken and scarred, but he had managed to put himself back together again, alongside bringing peace to his kingdom. Caspian wasn’t ready to fracture again. </p><p>As he drew closer to the dock, he saw Edmund and Lucy both trying to calm Eustace. </p><p>“Lucy! The cordial!” Caspian shouted, kicking his legs even harder than before and ignoring the burn. He watched the young girl pat around her pockets before she stopped. </p><p>“No, no, no,” she muttered. “I must have left it on the ship!”</p><p>“Lucy!” Scolded Edmund, frantically running a hand through his hair. </p><p>“I’m sorry!”</p><p>“Sorry isn‘t good enough right now. This is Madelynn’s<em> life </em> on the line!”</p><p>“Well I obviously didn’t know this would happen!”</p><p>“Both of you shut up,” snapped the king, pushing himself quickly onto the dock before grabbing Madelynn’s body bridal-style and laying her on solid ground. She still wasn’t breathing. </p><p>Eustace wailed on the sidelines, forcing himself to turn around and look away from his sister before he vomited. Nobody came over to console him. The only one who would have was knocking on death’s door. While some part of him pushed against it, all he wanted was for one of his cousins to tell him that everything would be okay.</p><p>“What do we do?” A frantic Lucy asked. </p><p>Caspian was clueless as he threw his shirt back on. “I don’t know.”</p><p>“Can we save her?”</p><p>“I don’t know!”</p><p>“Well somebody better find out!” Eustace screamed. </p><p>“Edmund. Didn’t mother teach you those compression things?”</p><p>“That was almost 5 years ago for me!”</p><p>“It’s the only chance we have, Ed!”</p><p>“Fine. Get out of my way, Caspian.”</p><p>Edmund placed himself at her side, racking his brain for the slightest memory of what his mother had taught him. She had taught Susan and Peter too, but Lucy was far too young. </p><p>“I’m not doing mouth to mouth.”</p><p>Caspian didn’t find it amusing. “Just get on with it!” </p><p>“Aslan help me.”</p><p>He started with one compression over her heart, then another at a steady pace. </p><p>“Is it work-“</p><p>“SHUT IT, LU. I'M TRYING TO FOCUS!”</p><p>Edmund tried not to notice the tears brimming in his eyes. He never thought that he would have to be standing over his cousin’s body, her life resting in the palm of his hands. If this didn’t work-- if he messed this up-- her blood was on his skin. He would never forgive himself.</p><p>
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  <em> She wasn’t breathing.  </em>
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</p><p><em> Nothing. </em>A cold sweat blossomed on his skin as the heat of Lucy, Eustace, and Caspian’s stares burned onto the back of his neck. They were all relying on him.</p><p>
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</p><p>She coughed up sea water. </p><p>The sigh of relief was felt around the dock as Madelynn rolled over onto her side carefully and continued to cough. At least that meant she was alive. </p><p>Eustace was the first to run over, collapsing onto the floor with her and wrapping his arms around Madelynn so tightly it would have hurt, but it didn’t. She simply hugged him back. Her clothes were sopping wet, although there wasn’t much to be soaked anyways. She was wearing practically nothing. But he didn’t care. His sister was alive and he could see her full of light again. He didn’t need to plan a funeral. </p><p>Peeking her head around Eustace’s shoulder, Madelynn looked up at Caspian and chuckled humorlessly, “I’m not the biggest fan of Narnia so far.” His boyish grin warmed her shivering body.  “Thank you, Ed.”</p><p>“Your eyes look more greenish,” he said, perplexed. </p><p>“Probably just from the water. It usually happens when my eyes are irritated.”</p><p>“No. No, this is different.”</p><p>“She almost drowned and your main concern is her eye color?” Lucy sighed, wiping her tears away. Madelynn simply chuckled again, a dry, almost pained sound that was carried off in the breeze. </p><p>“I’ve been told my eyes are enchanting. Wouldn’t you agree, Caspian?”</p><p>He froze, blush creeping up his neck ever so slightly. “Uh, well, I mean sure.” </p><p>“I’ll take it.”</p><p>That’s not what he wanted to say, of course. Even just from that moment on the deck of the Dawn Treader, or in the chamber, he noticed that her eyes were the same shade of blue as the true sea, with soft ripples of darker waters around the edges. There was a little hazel around the pupils that he equated to sand on the shores. He wanted to say something other than <em> sure. </em>But could he really mean it? He’s only known her for a day, and sometimes things are better left unsaid. </p><p>“Alright, Eustace. You’re strangling me.” He shot up, brushing off his shirt and looking around quickly as if he was not just in tears. </p><p>“Well then. I expect your safety regulations will be increased now.”</p><p>A small crease formed between Caspian’s brows. “I apologize for not expecting a <em> surprise </em>kidnapping.”</p><p>“Your apology is not accepted.”</p><p>“Eustace,” Madelynn scolded. </p><p>“No! You almost died!” he cried out. “You almost died! I saw your body laying there motionless, and yet you sit here joking and flirting! How can you act so okay when-- when I almost lost you.”</p><p>“They had nothing to do with it. Don’t blame the actions of some slaver scum on Caspian, Lucy, and Edmund.”</p><p>“What happened to your face?”</p><p>“Nothing.”</p><p>“That’s not nothing,” Lucy interjected. </p><p>“I’m fine.” Liar. </p><p>“Just— tell us what happened,” Caspian said softly, kneeling on the dock beside her with a sympathetic look in his deep brown eyes. If it were up to her, she’s whack her head again so the memory of the past two days would fade away. She would never need to see the man with the slate eyes ever again, even in a dream.</p><p>“Fine, if you all insist. You know how we were taken to the auction? I wasn’t. I got thrown into these horrendous silks and dragged to some guy's house. He <em> bought </em> me for 2000 minims, whatever those are.”</p><p>Caspian hadn’t paid any attention to her attire, and it was harder than ever to keep his eyes up on her face. He didn’t want to be disrespectful. She wasn’t wearing this to be marveled at. </p><p>“The cut,” Urged Edmund. </p><p>“I’m not done yet. Patience, child. It’s a virtue. So, he brought me inside, called me a pig in silks, and threw me in this room. I should have ran sooner. The next morning I tried to leave through the window. He saw me, slapped my face as a punishment, hence the red mark, his ring sliced my face, hence the cut. Then he shackled me and tossed me in the boat head first. Everything is a blur after that. Satisfied?”</p><p>“That about covers it, yes,” Edmund muttered. </p><p>“Well, I have crews raiding the island for slavers. Some of them will stay here until we get another ship to transport them and have them tried to the full extent of my law,” Caspian said softly. “I’ll get justice for what he did to you.”</p><p>Lucy’s face dropped. “He didn’t-“</p><p>“No! No! He didn’t— no.”</p><p>“Are you being honest with me, Mads?”</p><p>“Of course. If he had touched me, I would have clocked him on the spot.”</p><p>“Touched you?” Inquired Caspian. </p><p>“Christ’s sake! I swear all of you have salt water in your ears! Repetition for repetition’s sake is simply repetitive.” She could still feel the uncalloused hand resting on her exposed back, and slender fingers brushing the curls away from her shoulder. </p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>“To paraphrase myself, nothing of that sort happened. I’m simply too fast.”</p><p>“Obviously not,” Edmund scoffed. “He caught you.”</p><p>“<em> Pssh, </em>details, Edmund.”</p><p>“Are necessary.”</p><p>“A social construct.”</p><p>“Not how that works.”</p><p>“Who’s to say? Maybe the real social construct is the friends we make along the way.”</p><p>“I hate the way you talk in riddles,” said Caspian with a small laugh, brows furrowed. He was lying, of course. He loved the way she talked.</p><p>“Keeping you on your toes. But, as happy as I am to see all of you, I can feel my bones turning to ice in this damned outfit, if you could even call it that. More like a poorly fashioned bikini.”</p><p>“What happened to your other clothes?” Caspian asked.</p><p>“No clue. Probably laying on the floor somewhere after I changed into this garbage. Whoops.”</p><p>“Oh. Lovely.”</p><p>“Indeed. Now, can we please head back to the boat? I’m fairly certain I have a concussion. And I don’t trust any of your fancy flower juice that you told me about. I'd rather heal on my own.”</p><p>“Mads--”</p><p>“Lucy. I’m fine. I just need to rest and mourn the loss of that corset I had.” Magic bothered her. The more she resisted this new thing, the less real it would be. Or perhaps, the more like a dream it would feel. The cut and headache acted as reminders that this was actually happening.</p><p>“You sure do have your priorities straight.”</p><p>“Edmund, I will throw you into the sea.” He backed away. Eustace was the first to run towards the longboats hopping in quickly, followed by Lucy and Edmund. Caspian lingered behind, helping Madelynn stand and staying by her side to offer support if she felt uneasy.</p><p>“For the record,” he started, pulling his shirt over his head and handing it to her, “Red is your certainly color.” His voice was not strong or overly flirty. He sounded like a schoolgirl trying to impress their crush. Madelynn hardly picked up on his moves. She was so used to flirty banter that she was none the wiser.</p><p>“Oh?” she smirked.</p><p>“You look lovely.”</p><p>“I shall treasure those words, <em> your majesty. </em> I’ve never been complimented by a king before.”</p><p>Caspian smiled down at her, but she never saw. She was too busy slipping his shirt over her exposed torso and basking in the warmth it brought. She would never be quick enough to catch the little glimmer in his eyes when he saw her. It was like the north star in his eyes, such a deep brown that they almost mirrored the night sky. Caspian didn’t know it was there either.</p><p>She latched onto his arm for support, the rush to her head after standing making her legs wobble and her vision fade in and out of blackness. Maybe if she wasn’t so exhausted from the past two days, she would have made a flirty remark about Caspian’s bare chest, or make exaggerated google eyes at him. Maybe if he wasn’t the king of a forein country. Maybe if things were just a bit more <em> normal </em>.</p><p>Madelynn was naturally flirty. It was her native tongue. She could sweet talk her way into getting discounts on groceries or a bottle of beer from the street corner. It didn’t matter who it was-- unless it was illegal, of course-- or who she was with. She could flirt herself into and out of any situation. She could reel men in, hooking them with temptation and batted eyelids. If they were going to undress her with their eyes, she would at least get something for herself out of it.</p><p>She wobbled trying to get off the dock, deep black spots clouding her vision as her head filled with the sensation of cotton stuffing. Caspian sat her down first before easing himself into the longboat. He watched as she drew in deep breaths, fighting with the pull of dreamless sleep, eyes shifting in and out of focus. </p><p><em> I should have gotten there sooner, </em> he scolded himself. He kept convincing himself he was the reason for her pain. <em> Maybe if I broke away from those chains last night. </em> He did the only thing he could think of. Caspian wrapped his left arm around her shoulder, pulling Madelynn to his side and letting her relax while knowing someone was there.</p><p>Although he was still a bit damp, his body was warm as she leaned against him on the boat, hardly keeping her eyes open as the Dawn Treader drew closer and closer. Caspian didn’t mind comforting the girl who just experienced so much. She was ripped away from everything she knew, bought and sold, and almost died in the span of two days. Wrapping his arms around her was the least he could do. He couldn’t get her home, or erase the past, but he could hold her as her breathing sped up with each rock of the longboat. He could let her know that she was not alone</p><p> </p>
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